Attachment for air hammers



June'zl, 193's. 2,121,487

4 ATTACHMENT FOR AIR HAMMERS Fqlled June 24,- 1955 INVENTOR W .NIL0I2 0 ls Q0? Q.) m v ATTORNEY Patented June 21 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ATTACHMENT FOR AIR HAMMERs Arthur W. Nichols, Roseville, Calif.

Application June 24, 1935, Serial No. 28,054

a i 7 Claims.

This invention relates generally to pneumatic hammers used for the repair of motor vehicle bodies and fenders and on all sheet metal work; the invention being directed specifically and particularly to a die supporting attachment for such air hammers.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a die supporting attachment which will permit the pneumatic hammer and its cooperating die to be employed on repair jobs such as automobile doors without removing the inside metal structural panels as used in modern allsteel vehicle bodies.

In the past, especially on door repair jobs, where the door was provided with an inside metal panel, it has been necessary to use a device known as a separate spoon in place of the usual relatively large die which of course would not fit between the metal door and inside panel.

With my die supporting attachment however a pneumatic hammer may be successfully used to repair doors constructed as above set out, panel boards, control boards, and foot boards. The attachment also permits the hammer and dieto extend around braces as well as door and body supports thereby permitting use of the hammer in places heretofore impossible with a tool of this character.

As a further object, it is my purpose to provide a cap for the pneumatic hammer which will permit its use on painted, enameled, chrome or nickel surfaces without injury to such surfaces.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawing similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved pneumatic hammer attachment as working on an automobile door.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary end view of the die supporting yoke of the attachment;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary end view of the hammer head showing a Celluloid cap thereon.

Referring now more particularly tothe characters of reference on the drawing, the numeral i denotes the hammer head or casing of a pneumatic hammer of a certain standard type, having a vibratory or reciprocating hammerplunger 2 therein. The head has a handle and valve body unit 3 projecting laterally therefrom near its upper or outer end. This hammer is operated in the conventional manner by air supplied from a flexible hose 4 connected to the valve unit; the valve being controlled by. a finger 5 lever 51 under the handle. Thus far the construction is standard and I do not alter the same in any way. Ordinarily however a U-shaped arm is mounted in connection with the hammer which supports the die to cooperate with the hammer plunger, and this arm I remove in pp y g my attachment.

Said attachment comprises a U-shaped arm 6 taking the place of the original arm, and preferably of piping. One leg of this arm at one end removably but non-turnably fits in the outer end of the handle unit the same as the original arm, and extends in longitudinal alinement therewth. The other leg lies in transverse alinement with the hammer head some distance under the hammer, at which end said leg is squared, as shown at l.

Removably mounted in connection with and supported by the arm is a die supporting yoke 8. This is also of piping and of U-shaped form, lying. in a common plane with the arm but relatively small, both as to its length or depth, and. as to the width between the legs. The lower leg of the yoke 8 is provided at its outer end with a squared socket 9 extending lengthwise thereof immediately below the same and adapted to reversibly receive the squared end i or the arm 6 therein; said socket and end 1 being removably held together against undesired displacement by a transverse pin i0.

The other leg of the yoke 8 terminates'closely below the hammer and is flattened as at H to provide a fiat support for a die block l2 of rectangular form and convexly curved on its work ing face as indicated. The die is rigidly secured on the flat portion H by welding or otherwise and is spaced from the adjacent end of the hammer head sufficiently to enable the sheet metal sheathing of an automobile door 83 or body toproject therebetween.

In operation the yoke is detached from the arm and is manipulated so that the leg with the die [2 thereon passes through that one of the usual openings formed in the inner panel [4 of the door which is closest to the place on the outer panel to be treated. It is of course understood that the socket leg of said yoke remains outside the panel. The arm 6 is then placed in straddling relation to the door and the squared end i is slid into the socket 9 from either end of the same, depending on the conditions or the size of the particular part being worked on, and is held in place by the pin ID. The arm and hammer are then shifted as a unit with the yoke, as may be necessary to locate the hammer in proper position for operation, and although the cooperating die cannot then be seen, it also will perforce be alined with the hammer on account of its connection therewith through the yoke and arm.

If a fine or delicate finish is being worked on by the hammer, marring or damaging of said finish may be prevented by placing a Celluloid cap l5 over the lower end of the hammer head, as shown in Figure 3. The head is oval and the cap is .of course correspondingly shaped. On the long sides of the head the corresponding sides of the cap slope down to a relatively shallow depth at the middle as indicated at H5 in order that the cap itself may flex or yield with the outward movement of the plunger 2 and yet remain firmly in place on the head or casing I.

While celluloid is designated as being the cap material, it is to be understood that any other material suitable for the purpose may be used.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a pneumatic hammer having a casing and a reciprocatory plunger therein exposed to the lower end of the casing, a U-shaped arm the legs of which extend laterally of the hammer, means to support the free end of one leg from the casing, the other leg lying in a plane below the hammer and its free end portion being non-circular and disposed symmetrical to the axis of the hammer plunger, a U-shaped yoke of smaller dimensions than the arm and whose legs also extend laterally of the hammer, one leg of the yoke extending from under the hammer adjacent the same and the other leg lying in a plane above the other leg of the arm, a die on the free end of said one leg of the yoke to cooperate with the hammer plunger, and an open ended socket fixed on and extending lengthwise of the other leg of the yoke at its free end and under the same for slidable and reversible but non-turning engagement with said non-circular end portion of the other leg of the arm.

2. In combination with a pneumatic hammer having a casing and a reciprocatory plunger therein exposed to the lower end of the casing, a U-shaped arm the legs of which extend laterally of the hammer, means to support the free end of one leg from the casing, the other leg lying in a plane below the hammer, a U-shaped yoke of smaller dimensions than the arm and whose legs also extend laterally of the hammer, one leg of the yoke extending from under the hammer adjacent the same, a die on the free end of said leg to cooperate with the plunger, and a socket on the free end of the other leg of the yoke, the free end of the other leg of the arm being correspondingly formed to removably engage the socket.

3. A die supporting attachment for a pneumatic hammer having a movable head, said attachment comprising a rigid U-shaped arm to straddle a part to be hammered in clearance relation thereto, means to support the hammer on one leg of the arm so that the hammer head lies in a plane intermediate the arm legs, a die positioned in alinement with and under the head to cooperate therewith, and a rigid die supporting element extending first substantially parallel to said one leg of the arm to a point short of the U-bend of said arm and then deflecting to and being secured on the other leg of the arm.

4. A die supporting attachment for a pneumatic hammer, comprising a rigid, substantially U-shaped arm to straddle a part to be hammered, in clearance relation thereto, means to support the hammer on one leg of the arm so that the hammer head lies in a plane intermediate the arm legs, a die positioned in alinement with and under the head to cooperate therewith, and a rigid die supporting element extending a certain distance from the die in a plane at substantially right angles to the axial plane of the hammer, and then deflecting to and being secured to the other leg of the arm.

5. A die supporting attachment for a pneumatic hammer having a casing, a plunger reciprocable in the casing, and a hammer head on the outer end of the plunger, said attachment comprising a die disposed beneath and separated from the hammer head whereby work to be hammered may engage between the hammer head and die, a rigid self-supporting yoke disposed under the die, said yoke being disposed in the same plane as the axis of the plunger, one leg of the yoke being secured to the die, a rigid substantially U-shaped arm between the legs of which the yoke is disposed, means to connect the other leg of the yoke and one leg of the arm together at adjacent ends, and means to connect the other leg of the arm to the hammer casing.

6. A die supporting attachment for a pneumatic hammer having a casing, a plunger reciprocable in the casing, and a hammer head on the outer end of the plunger, said attachment comprising a die disposed beneath and separated from the hammer head whereby work to be hammered may engage between the hammer head and die, a die supporting member which includes a rigid leg secured to and projecting laterally from the die and an element rigid with the outer end of said leg and extending to a termination in a plane below and spaced from the die, and a rigid, substantially U-shaped arm having legs to extend laterally relative to the axis of the hammer plunger, one leg at its free end being adapted for connection to the hammer casing, and the other leg extending to a point adjacent said termination of the die supporting member, and means to connect said other leg at its free end to said termination whereby to support said member.

'7. A structure as in claim 5 in which said yoke and arm connecting means are arranged so that the yoke may extend in opposite directions selectively relative to the plane of the hammer.

ARTHUR W. NICHOLS. 

